Is Google's Algorithm Racist?

Just issues, news, and other stuff that matters to you [Fusion] June 10, 2016 Hello, everyone—and goodbye. This is my last issue of the newsletter, but I am leaving you in the capable hands of journalist and opinion-haver [Darian Symoné Harvin], who will be joining you next week. I’ve had a great time putting the newsletter together and sending my thoughts out to your inboxes over the last four months, covering topics like the Panama Papers, teenage robots, Tacogate, Rudy Giuliani’s briefcase, and the rise of the Pragmacrats (that was just yesterday!). While I’ve been here I’ve gotten complaints from supporters of Trump, Cruz, Sanders, and Clinton, which makes me think I kept a reasonably wary eye on this unusual election season. Thanks are very much due to the folks at [Fusion.net], who made my job easy by producing the stories and reporting that formed the backbone of every issue. And thanks to all of you who came along for the ride. —[Mikki Halpin] THE LIST 1 Is Google's Algorithm Racist? The results you get when you search for "black teenager" vs. "white teenager" are quite different—and you can probably imagine how. (Hint: One is mugshots, the other isn't.) Ethan Chiel [looks at the data]. 2 Hillary's All-Woman Cabinet Why not? After all we've had hundreds of years of all-male cabinets. [Check out] this "misandrist political fever dream." 3 Hack-Proof Your Passwords If Mark Zuckerberg's account can be compromised, so can yours. Use [two-factor authentication] and you've got one less thing to worry about. 4 The Glitter Gods Can Be Cruel Masters Isha Aran bravely put [sparkles] in her hair every day for a week and lived to tell the tale. 5 Testing Trump's Truthiness The GOP may be learning to think like Donald Trump—a spokesman for the party says Trump has definitely not been pointing to Judge Gonzalo Curiel's heritage as one of the reasons the judge has ruled against him. Well, here is a list of all the times Trump [has definitely done just that]. THE READ [When Your First Love Rapes Someone] by Caitlin Murphy Stanford rapist Brock Turner, who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman behind a dumpster last year, has sparked national outrage this month, horrifying onlookers with his unapologetic [statement] and measly prison sentence. But drawing just as much ire are the people defending him, like his[father] and [childhood friend], who have blamed the former Cub Scout and athlete’s “action” on “party culture.” On booze. On everything but him. After all, they argue, how could such a smart, talented “sweetheart” knowingly do something so terrible? As their statements have gone viral, the public has rushed to vilify these defenders, and for good reason. But I understand on a deeper level what compelled them to deny Brock’s wrongdoing. Two months ago, I learned that my first love was convicted of rape. I didn’t want to believe it, either. L and I had always had a messed-up relationship—emotionally manipulative from both ends. I kicked him out of my life multiple times, uncharacteristically bitter from years of infractions, serious and minor, beginning in high school. Regardless, the curiosity would always return: What was he doing? Where was he? How was he? I think many people have had this kind of early love—the kind that weaves its way into your developing brain and is difficult to rout. After not hearing from him for about a year, this past April I searched his name on Facebook, hoping that perhaps he had reactivated his account. The first result: “[Town] Man Accused of Raping 16-Year-Old.” My face reddened, my heart beat faster. Under the headline was his mugshot—the face I knew so well. I wanted to slap it, in the same way that I felt the headline had slapped me. As a survivor of rape and sexual assault myself, my hands shook as I scrolled through the article. I went to Google, searched his name, his town, for more. I had to know what happened, I had to understand. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, in these initial moments, I was looking for excuses. [Read more] - [The Stanford survivor's message to the man who raped her] - [Joe Biden's open letter to the Stanford survivor] TGIFOTO Meet Moccas, a young Andean Condor. Moccas is a typical millennial who has a [Twitter account,]posts selfies[,] and lives with her parents. However, unlike many others of her generation, she can fly. Happy Friday! [Facebook] [Twitter] [Vine] [Instagram] [Youtube] Remember, you can always [click here to unsubscribe] and never see another one of these emails until the apocalypse (at which time it'll be nothing but emails). This email was sent to {EMAIL} Fusion · 419 Lafayette St · New York, NY 10003 · USA